Key points:

• The UK does not currently possess fully autonomous weapon systems and has no plans to develop them.
• James Cartlidge, Minister of State for Defence Procurement, stated that while the UK does not rule out the incorporation of AI into weapon systems, it emphasizes the need for “context-appropriate human involvement” in the identification, selection, and targeting of potential threats.
• These comments were made in response to concerns raised by Theresa Villiers, a Conservative former cabinet minister, about the use of AI in defense capabilities. She asserted that weapon systems should always be under human control and never operate autonomously.

Summary:

In a response to concerns about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in defense capabilities, James Cartlidge, the UK’s Minister of State for Defence Procurement, clarified that the UK has no intention of developing fully autonomous weapon systems. While the incorporation of AI into weapon systems is not ruled out, the UK stresses the importance of context-appropriate human involvement in critical decision-making processes such as threat identification, selection, and targeting. Any weapon systems used by the UK military would be governed by the Ministry of Defence’s robust framework of legal safety and regulatory compliance regimes, irrespective of the technology involved.